by MUNCIE, Ind. — Michael Lewis wasn’t satisfied with the performance from Ball State men’s basketball Saturday evening, which resulted in a 68-62 home loss to Little Rock.
“Our attention to detail and focus wasn’t where it needed to be,” the fourth-year Cardinals head coach said. “There were too many instances where we did our own thing, and it cost us every time.”
Lewis said it wasn’t just the outcome and the way Ball State struggled late in the game. It was the style of basketball Ball State played throughout the game inside Worthen Arena.
“That’s a very talented basketball team. When you’re playing a team sport and a guy breaks down, it breaks everyone down,” Lewis said. “We really lacked some mental toughness tonight on getting to the next play and moving on from mistakes.
But the game did not start all that badly for the Cardinals. In the first 14 minutes of play, they didn’t commit a single turnover. They were also in front in the first half for a bit after taking a 15-12 lead.
Yet, things changed. Lewis said the Cardinals lost their ‘poise.’
“You get 33 deflections, turn the team over 23 times and can’t win. That’s disturbing,” Lewis said.
It began with the rebounding numbers as the Trojans found success on the boards, grabbing 36 total rebounds in the win. Ball State had 18 and lost the second-chance points battle 18-6.
“You give up that many offensive rebounds (12). It’s inexcusable,” Lewis said.
Throughout the second half, the Cardinals ‘mental mistakes,’ as Lewis put it, were noticeable. Some shot attempts did not fall, and that snowballed with other issues. There were even moments when the team passed up shot attempts that had Ball State fans looking at each other with questioning glances.
“We had really good days of practice leading up to that, and it’s on us,” senior guard Elmore James said. “There’s no excuse. We just gotta be much better.”
After Little Rock took a 37-35 lead at halftime, they held on to that lead for most of the contest (22:52). But Ball State had multiple chances to make a run, but the Cardinals instead were scoreless for 5:45, halting any progress.
This, combined with a 54.9 percent (28-for-51) shooting performance and a 58.3 percent (7-for-12) outing from deep from the Trojans, meant there was not much the Cardinals could do.
“We have to get more discipline on both ends of the court,” Lewis said. “You don’t want to take away the aggressiveness, but you have to be smart with your aggressiveness … We need to work on all the little things that add up to winning.”
The Cardinals have now fallen in back-to-back games, and they won’t get the chance to play in Muncie until December, as they have a five-game road trip ahead of them. Lewis said for Ball State to improve, you have to throw them into ‘situations’ that they will see in live action.
“These guys have overcome difficult things in their lives. It’s a basketball game, so you missed a shot. Big deal … get to the next thing,” Lewis said. “You can’t get all up in your feelings and allow that to roll into more mistakes.”
Yet, Lewis said the list of things he wants this team to improve upon is much longer than one. He said at the end of the day.
“There’s a fine line between winning and losing,” he said. “We gotta quit putting ourselves in a position to lose games. We have to make more winning plays, and I think this group is capable of that.”
Junior Armoni Zeigler led Ball State with 15 points and five rebounds in the loss. The Cardinals will kick off their extended road trip as they face Indiana State in Terre Haute, Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
